Cuisines of Kerala
Kerala recipes are famous for its splendor and extreme taste. Here is a compilation of typical recipes from Kerala Kitchen. Bring home today the Kerala Flavor!
Kerala is noted for its variety of pancakes and steamed rice cakes made from pounded rice.
For Muslims, the lightly flavored biriyani made of mutton,chicken,egg or fish-takes pride of place.In seafood, mussels are a favorite.for the Christians, who can be seen in large concentration in areas like Kottayam and pala, stew,with appam is must for every marriage reception.Kerala also has it's own fermented beverages -the famous 'kallu'(toddy) ans is usually with spicy pickles and boiled eggs.
The unusual cuisine of Kerala brings to the fore the culinary expertise of the people of Kerala. Producing some of the tastiest foods on earth, the people of Kerala are gourmets with a difference.
The cuisine is very hot and spicy and offers several gastronomic opportunities. The food is generally fresh, aromatic and flavoured. Keralites are mostly fish-and-rice eating people.
The land and the food are rich with coconut, though one can't imagine Kerala food without chilies, curry leaf, mustard seed, tamarind and asafoetida.
Just a pinchful of tamarind can substitute tomatoes, but there is no real substitute for curry leaf. Since time immemorial, coconut has been an integral part of the cuisine of Kerala.
These people put to good use whatever the land offers and the result is a marvellous cuisine that is simple yet palate tickling. They relish equally a dish as simple as 'kanji' (rice gruel) or as extravagant as the 'sadya' (feast).
Break Fast
Appam
Appam is the soft pancake made from toddy fermented rice batter, with a soft spongy middle, which is laced with crispy edges. It is generally consumed with either vegetable or chicken or mutton stew, thoroughly mellowed with thick coconut milk and garnished with curry leaves.
Puttu
A type of steam cake, 'Puttu' is made from rice flour and steamed in long hollow bamboo or metal cylinders. Depending on the taste preference, Puttu can be had with steamed bananas and sugar or with a spicy curry made from gram or chickpeas.
Tapioca And Fish Curry
A sumptuous, mouthwatering delicacy, it's a not- to- be-missed combination of 'Kappa' and 'Meen curry'. With natural flavours erupting out of it liberally, the fish curry is made with garlic paste, onions and red chillies and seasoned with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Lunch
Sadya(Kerala Feast)
The typical Kerala feast served on a banana leaf, is a sumptuous spread of rice and more than 14 vegetable dishes, topped with `payasam', the delicious sweet dessert cooked in milk.
Some of the delicious items are: -Rice
While Plain Steamed rice is usually taken with dishes in Sadya (Vegetarian), it is the basic ingredient. Biryanis (in Non vegetarian meals of the Arabic tradition).
Rice
While Plain Steamed rice is usually taken with dishes in Sadya (Vegetarian), it is the basic ingredient. Biryanis (in Non vegetarian meals of the Arabic tradition).
Avil
Combination of vegetables like pumpkin, drumstick, potato, chilly etc and coconut sauce, it is a very popular side dish. Even mango, jackfruit and cashew nuts are included in Avil.
Thoren
Vegetables like Cabbage, Coconut, and Green chilly and mustard seed are either fried or steamed with spices like turmeric. Sometimes green papaya is used.
Sambar
It is made out of drumstick, tomato, potato, onion etc mixed with turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander seeds and many more spices.
Olen
Beans and gourds mixed with several spices like chilly powder.
Kaalen
Made using Banana and curd mixed with coconut paste and green chilly.
Rasam
Rasam is a best for digestion. It is similar to a clear broth; Rasam may be flavoured tamarind, lemon, tomato, lentils and/or pepper.
Pachadi
Main ingredients are Pumpkin, Coconut milk and curd with green chilly. A pleasing finish to the meal.
Paayasam
Sugared rice or noodles, served as a sweet.
Snacks
Popular snacks include banana chips, yam crisps, Tapioca chips deep-fried with chilly powder. .
Sweets
There's no shortage of sweets in Kerala. Jaggery is often used as a sweetener. It can be boiled and made into paste form. It can be used as a sweet sauce with curd or fruit. Milk rice, coconut rice, or vermicelli sweetened with jaggery is common dessert.
Avalose is a rice-based sweet rolled into a ball with jaggery. Unniappam is pulped jackfruit, mixed with rice flour and jaggery, wrapped in a leaf and steamed.
Prathaman is lentils boiled with coconut, cardamom and ginger. Jaggery and cashew nuts are also added. Halwa is made from bananas.
OTHER DISHES
Kappa/Tapioca with Fish Curry
Tapioca is known as the poor mans vegetable.But ask any Malayali,rich or poor,belonging to any class or creed,you will soon realise that inspite of all the differences,Tapioca or Kappa has an universal appeal amongst Malyalis throughout!I cant think of any other meal that can represent Kerala completely as Tapioca and fish curry!This is not to say that it is a favourite only amongst non vegetarians,even vegetarians have their own different means of eating tapioca especially with delicious coconut chammanthi or red chilli chutney!
Tapioca is the second important staple food in Kerala after rice.The warm humid tropical conditions in Kerala with a good amount of rainfall serves best for cutlivating this starchy crop and it becomes ready for harvest 9-10 months after planting.
It is never consumed raw, since it contains cyanogenic (capable of producing cyanide,as hydrogen cyanide)glucosides.The leaves, having the highest concentrations and in the roots, the peel has a higher concentration than the interior.But this is no reason why you must stop eating tapioca because you will be surprised to know that these compounds are also present in crops such as jowar or peas!But since the latter two have an inherently high protein content, they cause fewer toxicity related problems when compare to tapioca which has a very very low protein content.In cases of human malnutrition,where the diet lacks protein and iodine,underprocessed roots of high HCN cultivars may result in serious health problems.So the point is that if you are consuming tapioca,make sure you include adequate protein in the diet.
Chiken/Mutton Biriyani
A "biriyani" dish is rice with a mixture of whatever takes your fancy.
Kerala is noted for its variety of pancakes and steamed rice cakes made from pounded rice.
For Muslims, the lightly flavored biriyani made of mutton,chicken,egg or fish-takes pride of place.In seafood, mussels are a favorite.for the Christians, who can be seen in large concentration in areas like Kottayam and pala, stew,with appam is must for every marriage reception.Kerala also has it's own fermented beverages -the famous 'kallu'(toddy) ans is usually with spicy pickles and boiled eggs.
The unusual cuisine of Kerala brings to the fore the culinary expertise of the people of Kerala. Producing some of the tastiest foods on earth, the people of Kerala are gourmets with a difference.
The cuisine is very hot and spicy and offers several gastronomic opportunities. The food is generally fresh, aromatic and flavoured. Keralites are mostly fish-and-rice eating people.
The land and the food are rich with coconut, though one can't imagine Kerala food without chilies, curry leaf, mustard seed, tamarind and asafoetida.
Just a pinchful of tamarind can substitute tomatoes, but there is no real substitute for curry leaf. Since time immemorial, coconut has been an integral part of the cuisine of Kerala.
These people put to good use whatever the land offers and the result is a marvellous cuisine that is simple yet palate tickling. They relish equally a dish as simple as 'kanji' (rice gruel) or as extravagant as the 'sadya' (feast).
Break Fast
Appam
Appam is the soft pancake made from toddy fermented rice batter, with a soft spongy middle, which is laced with crispy edges. It is generally consumed with either vegetable or chicken or mutton stew, thoroughly mellowed with thick coconut milk and garnished with curry leaves.
Puttu
A type of steam cake, 'Puttu' is made from rice flour and steamed in long hollow bamboo or metal cylinders. Depending on the taste preference, Puttu can be had with steamed bananas and sugar or with a spicy curry made from gram or chickpeas.
Tapioca And Fish Curry
A sumptuous, mouthwatering delicacy, it's a not- to- be-missed combination of 'Kappa' and 'Meen curry'. With natural flavours erupting out of it liberally, the fish curry is made with garlic paste, onions and red chillies and seasoned with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Lunch
Sadya(Kerala Feast)
The typical Kerala feast served on a banana leaf, is a sumptuous spread of rice and more than 14 vegetable dishes, topped with `payasam', the delicious sweet dessert cooked in milk.
Some of the delicious items are: -Rice
While Plain Steamed rice is usually taken with dishes in Sadya (Vegetarian), it is the basic ingredient. Biryanis (in Non vegetarian meals of the Arabic tradition).
Rice
While Plain Steamed rice is usually taken with dishes in Sadya (Vegetarian), it is the basic ingredient. Biryanis (in Non vegetarian meals of the Arabic tradition).
Avil
Combination of vegetables like pumpkin, drumstick, potato, chilly etc and coconut sauce, it is a very popular side dish. Even mango, jackfruit and cashew nuts are included in Avil.
Thoren
Vegetables like Cabbage, Coconut, and Green chilly and mustard seed are either fried or steamed with spices like turmeric. Sometimes green papaya is used.
Sambar
It is made out of drumstick, tomato, potato, onion etc mixed with turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander seeds and many more spices.
Olen
Beans and gourds mixed with several spices like chilly powder.
Kaalen
Made using Banana and curd mixed with coconut paste and green chilly.
Rasam
Rasam is a best for digestion. It is similar to a clear broth; Rasam may be flavoured tamarind, lemon, tomato, lentils and/or pepper.
Pachadi
Main ingredients are Pumpkin, Coconut milk and curd with green chilly. A pleasing finish to the meal.
Paayasam
Sugared rice or noodles, served as a sweet.
Snacks
Popular snacks include banana chips, yam crisps, Tapioca chips deep-fried with chilly powder. .
Sweets
There's no shortage of sweets in Kerala. Jaggery is often used as a sweetener. It can be boiled and made into paste form. It can be used as a sweet sauce with curd or fruit. Milk rice, coconut rice, or vermicelli sweetened with jaggery is common dessert.
Avalose is a rice-based sweet rolled into a ball with jaggery. Unniappam is pulped jackfruit, mixed with rice flour and jaggery, wrapped in a leaf and steamed.
Prathaman is lentils boiled with coconut, cardamom and ginger. Jaggery and cashew nuts are also added. Halwa is made from bananas.
OTHER DISHES
Kappa/Tapioca with Fish Curry
Tapioca is known as the poor mans vegetable.But ask any Malayali,rich or poor,belonging to any class or creed,you will soon realise that inspite of all the differences,Tapioca or Kappa has an universal appeal amongst Malyalis throughout!I cant think of any other meal that can represent Kerala completely as Tapioca and fish curry!This is not to say that it is a favourite only amongst non vegetarians,even vegetarians have their own different means of eating tapioca especially with delicious coconut chammanthi or red chilli chutney!
Tapioca is the second important staple food in Kerala after rice.The warm humid tropical conditions in Kerala with a good amount of rainfall serves best for cutlivating this starchy crop and it becomes ready for harvest 9-10 months after planting.
It is never consumed raw, since it contains cyanogenic (capable of producing cyanide,as hydrogen cyanide)glucosides.The leaves, having the highest concentrations and in the roots, the peel has a higher concentration than the interior.But this is no reason why you must stop eating tapioca because you will be surprised to know that these compounds are also present in crops such as jowar or peas!But since the latter two have an inherently high protein content, they cause fewer toxicity related problems when compare to tapioca which has a very very low protein content.In cases of human malnutrition,where the diet lacks protein and iodine,underprocessed roots of high HCN cultivars may result in serious health problems.So the point is that if you are consuming tapioca,make sure you include adequate protein in the diet.
Chiken/Mutton Biriyani
A "biriyani" dish is rice with a mixture of whatever takes your fancy.